Pneumatic supporting means.



G. VON SGHANTZ. PNEUMATlC SUPPORTING MEANSJ.

APPLIUATION FILED MAILZQ, 1910.

Patented Aug". 9, 1910.

UNITED s ATEs PATENT our Ion.-

GUS'IAF VON S CHANTZ, OF NEW BTRITAIN, CONNECTICUT.

i To all whom concern:

, Be it known that I, GUsrAF voiv 'SoHAN'rz, a subject of the King of Sweden, residing at New Britain, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic Supporting Means, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to porting means. Pneumatic supporting means involving my invention, comprises a pneumatic support having two relatively movable membersand means for maintaining asubstantially uniform pressure in said support, and it is one of the primary purposes of my inpneumatic supvention to relieve unduly excessive pressure that may be developed in said support on;

the relative movement of the members there oi by virtue of which said excessive pressure cannot r'eacton the support as in such an event the reaction would;cause a sudden said forms.

The apparatus can be used with advantage 111 many different connections; for example, in (Olljlll'ltfitlfill \vithor aspart of an automobile or otheu fiahicle, and in such a. use I prefer to employ several of the said pneumatic supports and they "are preferably in communication with each other so as to equalize shocks; that is to say if a shock of average character 1s recelved dlrectly or practically so by one ofthe supports it is through a system of piping connecting the same with the companion supports transferred to the latter. In other Words, the said shock is distributed and is not localized.

In the drawings accompanying and forming part of the present specification,- have represented in detail one. form-of embodi ment of the invention which to enable those skilled in the art to practice the 'invention will be set forth fully in thefollowing description while the novelty of the invention myself to the showing made by said drawwill be included in the claims succeeding said description. From the observation just made it will be evident that I do not restrict ings and description; I ma'ydepart radically therefrom within th'e'scope of my invention as expressed n said claims. s

In the organization Illustrated the supshocks.- usual obstruction or depression this will cause an instant operation of one or more of, ,the supports and-in suchcase the air in the flrunu qincrrcsurronrme MEANS.

I said pneumatic supports, a primary tank be ling utilized to maintain a substantially uniform pressure in the system made up of the said supports and the connected piping ore tubing therefor. Under ordinary condi'tlons the supporting ,means will absorb any Should, the vehicle strike an unsystem will be highly compressed. When this pressure is unduly excessive, I automatically relieve the same and, while this result can be obtained in several ways, I prefer to discharge it into a high pressure tank. The rimary or low pressure tank presents a sultable means for, maintaining a substantially uniform pressure in the several supports and this pressure maybe for example, sixty pounds which would be suflicient for use in an ordinary automobile cap'able of carrying several passengers. The high pressure tank contains air, for illustration, under eighty pounds pressure or in this'neighborhoodl When an excessive pressure is developedin themanner indicated if it be above that in. the high pressure tank, the highly compressed air is discharged into this tank. I provide suitable relief and check valves to assure proper working conditions. There may be cases where I can dispense with the high pressure tank and there may be vehicles Where it"might be necessary to employ only one or possibly two. pneumaticsupports in connection with means for relieving the excessive pressure when the condition to which I have alluded, ensues.

Comparing the action of niy pneumatic s1ipportiug means with ordinary springs, it is evident that the very objectionable reaction of a suddenly compressed spring is entirely eliminated and that instead the body of the vehicle is brought to its normal position by a gradual lifting action. The energy of the shock is absorbed and arrested in the high pressure tank and dissipated by Specification of Letters Patent. "Patented 9', 1910. Application flied March 24, 1910. Serial no. 551,273. 7

radiation and reduction of pressure through the reducing ,yalve which operate in conneca vice the shock may be checked to a greater or less extent by adjusting the reducing valve, and the energy that with springs reacts on the body, is immediately absorbed, arrested and gradually dissipated.

Referring to said drawings: Figure 1 is a top plan view of pneumatic supporting in connection with a vehicle such as an automobile, the-running gear and'bedy of which are partially shown in Fig. 2, the pneumatic supporting means being disposed between said running gear and body. The running gear includes in its makeup the, front and rear axles 2 and 3 providedwith the usual wheels 4 and 5, the body being designated by 6. In thepresent case there are four pneumatic supports and they are preferably 1 disposed near the corners of the body 6 and below said body, being sustained by the axles 2- and 3. As will be gathered from the statements already made,'I do not restrict myself to the use of any particular form of pneumatic supports, although the ones illus trated are quite satisfactory. There are four of said su ports and each is denoted in a general way loy 7 and a detailed descriptionof one will suffice for the remainder and in this connection reference may be had to the support 7 shown at the right in Fig.v 2

and carried by the rear axle 3. The-support 7 involves 1n 1ts construction a lower mem- I ber-8 and an upper member 9, the latter 'benectetl with the axle 3.

ing shown as of cup form so as to present an' interior air receiving chamber, a diaphragm 10 of rubber, composite or other suitablematerial, being located between the two members 8 and 9 and closing the chamber against the escape of the compressed air. The diaphragm 10 rests on the convex upper surface of the lower member 8, which member 8 inv the present instance is rigidly conv It will be evident that on the relative movement of the body 6 toward the axles 2 and 3, the air within the pneumatic supports 7 is compressed, and as will be obvious, it is my intention to prevent the reaction of the compressed air on the members 9' when such'air is'highly compressed or when it is compressed to a point above the pressure of the air in the secondary or high pressure tank to which I have already briefly referred.

I have shown as rigidly connected with the several lower members 8, rods 11 which extend toward the intermediate portion of the body 6 and are pivoted to said. body, these rods presenting a convenient-means for holding the body to the running gear and for also insuring the vertical alinement of the respective superposed members of the four pneumatic supports.

The rear supports are connected or in communication with the front supports by pipes or tubes 12, which as 'will be evident,

extend lbngi-tudinally of the vehicle. These pipes 12 are connected by-transverse pipes 18 and 14 by reason of which the several supports are put into direct and uninterrupted communication. On the up and down relative motion of the body and running gear the-air travels from one support to another back and forth with rapidity through the several connecting pipes. have already explained how when the shock isreceived by one 'supportit is transmitted to the other supports, so as to equalize the shock or distribute the same over the system, whioh I consider. to be made up of the several slipports and their connecting tubes.

A 'prnnary or low pressure tank is showli afilfi, being connected by a pipelG with the transverse pipe 13, said pipe 16 inelosing an outwardly opening check valve 17. This valve is opened outwardlyat approximately sixty pounds pressure, and as thereis maintained a constant pressure oflsixty pounds in the primary orlow. pressure tank 15, it will be clear that under normal conditions the valve 17 is open. It will be assumed that there is a sudden increase of pressure in the system and in such an event as this, the compressed air becomes operative for shutting thevalve 17 and thereby preventing the highly compressed air from entering the tank 15. Said valve 17' therefore closes toward the tank 15.

- In addition to the tank 15 there is a second tank 18 which con'nnunicates'with the I transverse pipe 1 1 by the pipe 19 inclosi'ng an inwardly opening check va'lve 20 which opens when the pressure of air in the system becomes higher than that of said tank 18, which it has been assumed is eighty pounds. It will, therefore, be evident that. the valve 20 closes away from the tank 18. The high pressure tank is initially supplied with compressed air by a suitable pump (Iiot shown) which delivers the air into the said tank by way, for example, of a pipe 21. Under ordinary conditions thesupporting means independently of the tank 18 will re- ,sist any average shocks and will do so in an effective. manner. Should the vehicle be given an unusual shock the air in the system willbe highly compressed and if the pressure is above that in the high pressure tank the excessively compressed air cannot enter the tank 15 but can enter the tank 18, open ing for this purpose the check valve 20 and ceases I entering'said tank 18. -Under normal conditions the check valve 20 is held closed by the pressureof the air in the tank 18. Said tank 18 may be equipped with ablow-ofi' or relief device 22, containing a valve which opens at a predetermined pressure to relieve the tank 1.8. This valve, of course, in practice will be set to open at a higher pressure than the normal one in said tank 18. Be-

tween the tanks 1.5 and 18 is a pipe-23 pro vided with a reducing or equalizing valve 24 which in the present instance opens at sixty pounds pressure but which like the usual valves of this type is adjustable to vary the amount. By reason of the fact that the normal pressure in the tank 18 is higher than that in the tank 15, I can owing to this equalizing valve, maintain a uniform pressure in the tank 15 and in the system. lhe're may be cases, as will be-apparent, where I could dispense with the-tank 18 and relieve the, excess pressure in some other manner. For instance, directly to atmosphere. The use of the tanklti, however, is highl advantageous as there is no waste of air. There may be also cases where I should prefer to provide the vehicle with a pump which is operated during the traveling motion of thevehicle and the air from which is supplied to the tank 18 to maintain the desired pressure therein and a pump such as thatdesignated by 25, supported by the. front axle 2 and operable by the body (3 as the same oscillates, serves satisfactorily in this connection, said pump being connected by a pipe 26with the high pressure tank 18.

What I claim is:

. 1. An apparatus of the class described,

comprising a pneumatic support having two relatively movable meltibers, a low pressure tank in communication withsaid support, a

check valve between said low pressure tank and support and closable toward said low pressure tank, a highpressure tank incommunication with said support, and a check valve between said high pressure tank and support and "cl 2. An apparatus of the class described,

comprising a pneumatic support having two relatively movable members, a low pressure tank in communication with said pneumatic support, a check valve between said low pressure tank and pneumatic support and osable away from said high closable toward saidlovvpressure tank, a

high pressure tank in communication with ports each having two relativ ly movable 'members, plping connecting said pneumatic supports, a low pressure tank connected with said piping, a check valve between the low pressure tank and the pi i'ng, closable to- Ward said low pressure tan a highpressure tank in communication with said piping, and a check valve between the high pressure tank and the piping, closableaway from said high pressure tank.

4. An apparatus of the class described comprisinga plurality of supports each having two relatively movable members, piping for putting said supports into communication, a low pressure tank connected with said piping, acheck valve between the low pressure tank and the piping, closable toward said low pressure tank, a high pressure tank also in communication with said piping, a check valve between the high pressure tank and the piping, closable away 1? from said high pressure tank, and a conne tion between the two tanks, provided with a,

reducing valve.

5. The combination with the runninggear and the body of an. automobile, pneumatic supports on the running-gear for movably supporting the body and'each having two relatively movable members, a low pressure tank, means provided with a check valve and closable toward said low pressure tank, for connecting said tank with said supports, a high pressure tank, means provided with a check valve closable away from saidhigh pressure tank, for connecting said high pressure tank with said supports, and a. conueu tion between said tanks, provided with a re ducing valve.

In testimony whereof I aiiiit my signature in presence of two witnesses. v

GUSTAF VON SGHANTZ. Witnesses I F. E. ANDERSON,

HEATH SUTHERLAND.

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